it elegant. It is clofely allied to the beautiful, differing from it only in this regularity; which, however, as it makes a very material difference in the affection produced, may very well conftitute another fpecies. Under this head I rank thofe delicate and regular works of art, that imitate no determinate object in nature, as elegant buildings, and pieces of furniture. When any object partakes of the above mentioned qualities, or of thofe of beautiful bodies, and is withal of great dimenfions, it is full as remote from the idea of mere beauty; I call it fine or fpecious.

SECT. XXIV.

THE BEAUTIFUL IN FEELING.

THE foregoing defcription of beauty, fo far as it is taken in by the eye, may be greatly illuftrated by describing the nature of objects, which produce a fimilar effect through the touch. This I call the beautiful in Feeling. It correfponds wonderfully with what causes the fame fpecies of pleasure to the fight. There is a chain in all our fenfations they are all but different forts of feelings calculated to be affected by various forts of objects, but all to be affected after the fame manner. All bodies that are pleasant to the touch, are fo by the flightness of the resistance they make. Refiftance is either to motion along the furface, or to the preffure

R 4

preffure of the parts on one another: if the former be flight, we call the body smooth; if the latter, foft. The chief pleasure we receive by feeling, is in the one or the other of these qualities; and if there be a combination of both, our pleasure is greatly increased. This is fo plain, that it is rather more fit to illuftrate other things, than to be illuftrated itself by an example. The next fource of pleasure in this sense, as in every other, is the continually presenting fomewhat new; and we find that bodies which continually vary their surface, are much the most pleasant or beautiful to the feeling, as any one that pleafes may experience. The third property in fuch objects is, that though the furface continually varies its direction, it never varies it fuddenly. The application of any thing fudden, even though the impreffion itself have little or nothing of violence, is difagreeable. The quick application of a finger a little warmer or colder than ufual, without notice, makes us ftart; a flight tap on the shoulder, not expected, has the fame effect. Hence it is that angular bodies, bodies that fuddenly vary the direction of the outline, afford fo little pleafure to the feeling. Every fuch change is a fort of climbing or falling in miniature; fo that fquares, triangles, and other angular figures are neither beautiful to the fight nor feeling. Whoever compares his ftate of mind, on feeling foft, fmooth, variegated, unangular bodies, with

that

that in which he finds himfelf, on the view of a beautiful object, will perceive a very striking analogy in the effects of both; and which may go a good way towards discovering their common caufe. Feeling and fight, in this refpect, differ in but a few points. The touch takes in the pleafure of foftnefs, which is not primarily an object of fight; the fight, on the other hand, comprehends colour, which can hardly be made percep tible to the touch: the touch again has the advantage in a new idea of pleasure refulting from a moderate degree of warmth; but the eye triumphs in the infinite extent and multiplicity of its objects. But there is fuch a fimilitude in the pleasures of thefe fenfes, that I am apt to fancy, if it were posfible that one might difcern colour by feeling (as it is faid fome blind men have done,) that the fame colours, and the fame disposition of colouring, which are found beautiful to the fight, would be found likewife moft grateful to the touch. But, fetting afide conjectures, let us pafs to the other fenfe; of hearing.

SECT. XXV.

THE BEAUTIFUL IN SOUNds.

IN this fenfe we find an equal aptitude to be affected in a foft and delicate manner; and how far fweet or beautiful founds agree with our descriptions

fcriptions of beauty in other fenfes, the experience of every one must decide. Milton has described this fpecies of mufick in one of his juvenile poems. I need not say that Milton was perfectly well verfed in that art; and that no man had a finer ear, with a happier manner of expreffing the affections of one fenfe by metaphors taken from another. The defcription is as follows:

And ever against eating cares,
Lap me in foft Lydian airs;
In notes with many a winding bout
Of linked fweetness long drawn out;
With wanton heed, and giddy cunning,
The melting voice through mazes running;
Untwifting all the chains that tie
The hidden foul of harmony.

Let us parallel this with the foftnefs, the winding furface, the unbroken continuance, the eafy gradation of the beautiful in other things; and all the diverfities of the several fenfes, with all their feveral affections, will rather help to throw lights from one another to finish one clear, confiftent idea of the whole, than to obfcure it by their intricacy and variety.

To the above-mentioned defcription I fhall add one or two remarks. The first is; that the beau

* L'allegro.

tiful in mufick will not bear that loudness and ftrength of founds, which may be used to raise other paffions; nor notes which are shrill or harsh, or deep; it agrees best with fuch as are clear, even, fmooth, and weak. The fecond is; that great variety, and quick tranfitions from one measure or tone to another, are contrary to the genius of the beautiful in mufick. Such* tranfitions often excite mirth, or other fudden and tumultuous paffions; but not that finking, that melting, that languor, which is the characteristical effect of the beautiful as it regards every fenfe. The paffion excited by beauty is in fact nearer to a fpecies of melan choly, than to jollity and mirth. I do not here mean to confine mufick to any one species of notes, or tones, neither is it an art in which I can say I have any great fkill. My fole defign in this remark is, to fettle a confiftent idea of beauty. The infi. nite variety of the affections of the foul will fuggeft to a good head, and skilful ear, a variety of such founds as are fitted to raise them. It can be no prejudice to this, to clear and diftinguish fome few particulars, that belong to the fame clafs, and are confiftent with each other, from the immenfe crowd of different, and fometimes contradictory ideas, that rank vulgarly under the standard of beauty. And of these it is my intention to mark

*I ne'er am merry,

when I hear fweet mufick.

SHAKESPEAR.

fuch